


you hear me, you're near me

by DaggerQuill_24601



Category: Barbie - All Media Types, Barbie as Rapunzel (2002), Barbie in The Nutcracker (2001), Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)
Genre: Coming Out, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Name Changes, Self-Doubt, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaggerQuill_24601/pseuds/DaggerQuill_24601
Summary: Barbie will always support her youngest sister, no matter what.
Relationships: Barbie Roberts & Chelsea Roberts, Barbie Roberts & Chelsea Roberts & Skipper Roberts & Stacie Roberts
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	you hear me, you're near me

“Bye, Kelly!” Emma waved goodbye as she left their playdate. “See you soon!”

Kelly waved back, but her smile faded as she turned away. 

Recently, she’d been feeling like the name Kelly suited her less and less.   
And she couldn’t shake the feelings of guilt that came with it. 

She’d always been Kelly, even after her sisters knew that she was a girl.  
Why couldn’t she just be happy with the name she had already? It’s not that she _disliked_ her name... but the thought of people calling her Chelsea filled her with joy in a way that her old name never really did.   
  
She knew that changing her name shouldn’t be a big deal— she was already accepted, her family knew that she was a girl, and they loved her unconditionally. 

Then why was she so nervous about telling them?

What if they didn’t like the name Chelsea? She knew that her sisters had always supported her, but the only change they’d had to make was calling her _she_ instead of he, and calling her their sister. Other than that, she’d always been Kelly to them. What if they were upset with her for giving up her name?   
  
She remembered all the times her sisters had supported her. Stacie and Skipper, even if they fought a lot, would always be there for her to kick the soccer ball around in the yard, or rock out with a pretend concert in her room. They treated her the same as always, just while using different terms. But as amazing as they were, the one she really wanted to tell first was Barbie. Even Stacie and Skipper agreed that Barbie was the best listener of all of them. They all looked to their oldest sister when they needed help with a problem. 

Whenever Chelsea wanted to talk about something, she’d always turned to Barbie.

When she’d had terrible stage fright before her first ballet recital, Barbie had reassured her and told her the story of Clara, and her courage.   
  
When she’d felt insecure about her painting abilities, hearing the fairytale of Rapunzel helped her feel comfortable enough to express herself.

And when she was homesick while away at camp, Barbie had been there to comfort her with the story of Odette. 

Every time she’d been scared of messing up, Barbie and her wonderful stories had made her confident enough to go on.   
  


Would giving up her name mean turning her back on all the love her family had shown her? 

Chelsea was scared to find out. But she knew she had to be true to herself. 

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

She found Barbie in her room, practicing her guitar.   
  
“Hey, Kelly!” Barbie looked up as she entered the room.  
“What’s up?” she asked, seeing the look on Chelsea’s face. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m...” Chelsea balled her little hands into fists on her skirt. “I like my name.” 

“Okay...” Barbie looked on patiently, nodding. 

“Kelly is a great name.” She swallowed.   
“But... I don’t know if it feels like _me_ anymore. Is that...okay?” She hadn’t noticed she’d been holding her breath in anticipation. 

Barbie put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Of course it’s okay, Kel—sweetie. You can be whoever you want to be. What do you want me to call you, instead of Kelly?”   
  
Chelsea took a deep breath.

“Do you...”

No going back now.

“Do you think you could call me...Chelsea? And could you help me tell Stacie and Skipper?”

Barbie smiled. “Of course.”  
Chelsea let out a sigh of relief. 

Barbie knew her well. She opened her arms, and Chelsea hugged her tight. They stayed like that for a while. 

Barbie came out of their embrace and looked at Chelsea. Her eyes shone with the same love and affection she’d always had for her, and Chelsea knew in that moment that no matter what name she called her own, her sister would always be there for her.

”How do you want to let Stacie and Skipper know your new name, Chelsea?” 

Chelsea bounced on her heels in excitement. “Maybe we can bake a cake that says ‘Chelsea’ on it! And decorate it with those frosting flowers!”   
  
“That’s a great idea!” 

As they walked to the kitchen, Chelsea saw Barbie get a familiar twinkle in her eye.   
  
“Did you ever hear the story about the princess who was once a prince?” 

Chelsea beamed. Barbie would still tell her stories! “No! You mean she was like me? What happened?”   
  
Barbie smiled.

“It all began when a dragon came to the kingdom...” 

**Author's Note:**

> The projecting is strong with this one


End file.
